Systems and methods for integrating xml syndication feeds into online advertisement

ABSTRACT

A system for providing XML syndication content to an Internet advertisement panel rendered in a web browser is disclosed. The system includes a web content server, an Internet advertisement server, and a XML syndication content feed site server. Both the web content server and the Internet advertisement servers are in communication with the web browser. The web content server is configured to respond to requests from the web browser for a web page and to deliver the web page to the web browser. The Internet advertisement server is configured to choose and deliver an Internet advertisement panel, having embedded XML syndication content, to the web browser. The XML syndication content feed site server is in communication with the Internet advertisement server and is configured to send XML syndication content updates to the Internet advertisement server upon receipt of an update request from the Internet advertisement server.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/714,382 filed Sep. 6, 2005. The disclosure of the above-identifiedapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The embodiments disclosed in this application generally relate toInternet advertising and more specifically to integration of XMLsyndication content into Internet advertising units.

2. Background of the Invention

Extensible Mark-up Language or XML is a web standard language used todescribe and share various types of data by using tags to define thedata layout. It is very similar to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), butunlike HTML it allows designers to create their own customized tags,enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation ofdata between applications and between organizations. Several families ofXML-based formats are routinely used by webmasters to create syndicatedcontent (e.g., news headlines, summaries of specific information, audiofiles, video files, etc.) for distribution on the Internet. Examples ofthese families of XML syndication formats are various versions of RSSand Atom. Of the two families, RSS is the most widely used because ofits simplicity for developers.

Typically, syndicated content is delivered in the form of syndicationfeeds that are subscribed to directly by users with aggregating servicesor feed readers, which combine the contents of multiple web contentfeeds for display on a single screen or a series of screens. Dependingon the method used, subscription is done by manually entering the URL ofa feed, by clicking a link in a web browser or by various other methods.Newer versions of many popular web browsers tend to include built-infeed reader features, thus negating the need for a user to subscribe toan aggregating service or use other feed readers.

While the majority of XML syndication feeds currently contain newsheadlines or breaking information, the long term uses of XML syndicationfeeds are more diverse. For example, the feeds can be used by Internetadvertising companies to interactively deliver Internet content toconsumers, to seamlessly integrate dynamically updated content withInternet advertising media, and to deliver dynamically updated data(e.g., statistics, results, etc.) to consumers.

Currently, there is no way to fully realize the potential long-term usesfor XML syndication feeds in Internet advertising. For example, thereare insufficient means to integrate XML syndication feeds with Internetadvertising to dynamically deliver a more content rich experience toconsumers.

SUMMARY

Methods and systems for integrating XML syndication content withInternet advertising.

In one aspect, a system for providing XML syndication content to anInternet advertisement panel rendered in a web browser is disclosed. Thesystem includes a web content server, an Internet advertisement server,and a XML syndication content feed site server. Both the web contentserver and the Internet advertisement servers are in communication withthe web browser. The web content server is configured to respond torequests from the web browser for a web page and to deliver the web pageto the web browser. The Internet advertisement server is configured tochoose and deliver an Internet advertisement panel, having embedded XMLsyndication content, to the web browser. The XML syndication contentfeed site server is in communication with the Internet advertisementserver and is configured to send XML syndication content updates to theInternet advertisement server upon receipt of an update request from theInternet advertisement server.

In another aspect, a method for providing a dynamically updated Internetadvertisement panel to a remote user is disclosed. A request for theInternet advertisement panel is received. Archived information issearched regarding previous communications with the remote user and theInternet advertisement panel is selected based on previouscommunications with the remote user. The selected Internet advertisementpanel is created and XML syndication content configured to allow forupdates is embedded into the Internet advertisement panel. The selectedInternet advertisement panel is sent to the remote user in a format thatpermits the remote user to view and interact with the selected Internetadvertisement panel. A profile for the remote user is updated withinformation about the selected Internet advertisement panel and thenarchived in a storage area.

In still another aspect, a method for updating XML syndication contentin an Internet advertisement panel is disclosed. XML syndication contentdata is requested from a XML syndication content feed site server. TheXML syndication content data is received from the XML syndicationcontent feed site server and stored in a storage area. The XMLsyndication content data to include in the XML syndication contentupdate file is chosen in accordance with a set of criteria. An Internetadvertisement panel with the XML syndication content update fileembedded within is created. The Internet advertisement panel is sent toa web browser displaying the Internet advertisement panel.

These and other features, aspects, and embodiments of the invention aredescribed below in the section entitled “Detailed Description.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the principles disclosure herein,and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the followingdescriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating multiple Internet content serversworking collaboratively to deliver Internet advertising and XML-basedsyndication content to a client in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with a XML syndication feed embedded within, that canbe delivered by the servers illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with oneembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the results when a hyperlink in the XMLsyndication feed for FIG. 2 is selected by the user during a websession;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with a XML syndication feed embedded within that canbe delivered by the servers illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance withanother embodiment;

FIG. 5, is a diagram illustrating a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with multiple XML syndication feeds embedded withinthat can be delivered by the servers illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordancewith still another embodiment;

FIG. 6, is a diagram illustrating what happens when a user interactswith either an interactive poll feed or a hyperlinks feed in accordancewith one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with a XML syndication feed embedded within and awindow displaying poll results and hyperlinks in accordance with oneembodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a XML multi-media feed embedded withinan advertisement unit in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An invention is described for methods and systems for integrating XMLsyndication content with Internet advertising. It will be obvious,however, that the present invention may be practiced without some or allof these specific details. In other instances, well known processoperations have not been described in detail in order not tounnecessarily obscure the present invention.

As used herein, the Internet or World Wide Web (WWW) uses a hypermedia(i.e., comprising of graphics, audio, video, plain text, hyperlinks,etc.) based system for enabling the browsing of Internet sites. As itsname implies, the WWW (i.e., Internet) is made of many websites linkedtogether allowing users to travel from one website to another simply byclicking on hyperlinks. To access the web, a user (i.e., client)typically runs a web browser program (e.g., FIREFOX™, NETSCAPE™,INTERNET EXPLORER™, etc.) that assists the user in navigating from amongthe various websites on the WWW and renders the web pages associatedwith those websites for viewing by the user.

As discussed above, RSS is a family of XML-based formats that includesmany competing variants developed by different groups throughout itsdevelopment. A quick summary of those variants and their definitions ofwhat the RSS acronym stands for include: RDF Site Summary (RSS v. 0.90,v. 1.0, and v. 1.1), Rich Site Summary (RSS v. 0.91), and Really SimpleSyndication (RSS v. 2.0 and RSS v. 3.0). It should be appreciated thatthese are just some examples of RSS formats and are not meant to limitthe types of RSS formats available for the present invention.Essentially any RSS type format can be used as long as the format is XMLbased. Atom refers to Atom Syndication Format (used mainly for webcontent syndication feeds) or Atom Publishing Protocol (used mainly as asimple HTTP-based protocol for creating and updating Web resources).

In one embodiment, the XML syndication content feed is integrated as asub-panel within an Internet advertisement panel. Using thisconfiguration, the feed sub-panel containing the XML content feed(s) canbe worked into a variety of sizes and be placed at any location withinthe advertisement panel by the administrator of the advertisementserver. In another embodiment, the XML syndication content feed can beintegrated as a hidden feed display panel within the Internetadvertisement panel. In this configuration, the feed display panel isrevealed only when a mouse pointer is placed over the Internetadvertisement panel. It should be appreciated, however, that theintegration methods described above are only examples of ways in which aXML syndication content feed can be integrated with an Internetadvertisement panel. In practice, the XML syndication content feed canbe integrated with the advertisement panel in any configuration as longas the XML content feed can be effectively delivered and understood by auser viewing the content feed.

In view of the foregoing, it should therefore be fully appreciated thata variety of Internet based content (i.e., Internet advertising, news,etc.) can benefit from the systems and methods described herein.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of how multiple Internet content servers canwork collaboratively to deliver Internet advertising and XML-basedsyndication content to a client, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe systems and methods described herein. As depicted, a client 102using a web browser is in communications by way of the Internet 103 witha web content server 104, an ad server 106, and a XML syndicationcontent feed site server 108. It should be appreciated that the client102 can be in communications with multiple servers of each server type(e.g., web content server 104, ad server 106, etc.) and that singleservers were used in this depiction for the sake of simplicity and isnot intended to limit the scenario to single servers of each servertype.

The XML syndication content feed site server 108 may be connected to thead server 106 by way of the Internet 103, a local area networkconnection, or any equivalent thereof. During an Internet 103 websurfing session, the client 102 makes a request for a web page 110 fromthe web content server 104, which is configured to send the requestedpage 110 back to the client 103 in the form of a Hypertext MarkupLanguage (HTML) or equivalent file type, e.g., XML, Extensible HypertextMarkup Language (XHTML), and Extensible Bindings Language (XBL).Embedded within the web page 110 is a script 112 that instructs theclients' 102 web browser to send a request for advertisement units 116to be sent from the ad server 106 to the client 102. Examples ofprogramming languages that can be used to create the script 112 include,JAVASCRIPT™ and VBSCRIPT™. It should be understood, however, that thescript 112 can be created using any programming language as long as thescript 112 can be processed by the client's 102 web browser to initiatea request for an advertisement panel from the ad server 106.

Still with FIG. 1, in one embodiment, once the request is received thead server 106 is configured to examine an existing profile of the client102 before choosing an appropriate advertisement unit 116 to return backto the client 102. Typically, the existing profile contains historicalinformation regarding previous communication sessions between the adserver 106 and the client 102. If a profile does not already exist forthe client 102, the ad server 106 is further configured to create a newprofile for the client 102 and log the identity of the advertisementunit 116 that is eventually selected and delivered to the client 102. Inone embodiment, the client profiles are stored in a storage area (e.g.,partitioned memory space, extra hard drive, etc.) within the ad server106. In another embodiment, the profiles are stored on an externalstorage medium (e.g., hard drive, CD-ROM, etc.) that is communicativelylinked to the ad server 106. Examples of historical information that mayimpact the advertisement units 116 chosen include: information aboutadvertisement units 116 that have already been sent to the client 102,information regarding client 102 response to those previousadvertisements 116, and client 102 demographics information.

In another embodiment, once the request is received, the ad server 106is configured to choose an advertisement unit 116 to send based on theweb content server 104 that the client 102 was in communications withprior to the creation of the request. In still another embodiment, thead server 106 is configured to choose an advertisement unit 116 based onhistorical information and whether the content rating (i.e., G ‘generalaudience’, PG ‘parental guidance suggested’, PG-13 ‘parental guidancesuggested for those under 13 years of age’, and R ‘restricted for thoseunder 17 years of age’, etc.) of the advertisement unit 116 exceeds thecontent rating level of the web page 110.

After choosing the ad unit 116, the ad server 106 is configured toconvert a XML syndication feed 114 into a format appropriate for webbrowser viewing (e.g., HTML, XHTML, etc.) and embed the converted XMLsyndication feed 114 into the ad unit 106. The ad server 106 is furtherconfigured to send that ad unit 116 to the client 102 web browser whenthe ad server 106 receives a request for the ad unit 116 from the client102 web browser. As discussed previously, a script embedded within theweb page 110 that the client 102 web browser receives from the webcontent server 104 instructs the client 102 web browser to make therequest for the ad unit 116. Once the client 102 receives the ad unit116, the client's 102 web browser renders both the contents of the adunit 116 and the converted XML syndication feed 114 for viewing by theclient 102.

In one embodiment, the XML syndication feed 114 is created using aRSS-based format such as RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary, or ReallySimple Syndication. In another embodiment, the syndication feed 114 iscreated using an Atom-based format such as the Atom Syndication Format(ASF). It should be appreciated that the syndication feed 114 can becreated using any XML-based format as long as the syndication feed 114can be converted into a format appropriate for client 102 web browserviewing prior to being embedded into an advertisement unit 116.

Continuing with FIG. 1, the types of content that can be delivered bythe syndication feed 114 is diverse and may include text, pictures,audio, and video elements. The various content delivered by the feed 114generally relate to a particular subject matter that may or may not berelevant to what is being marketed in the advertisement unit 116. In oneembodiment, the contents of the XML syndication feed 114 relate to thesubject of the advertisement unit 116 itself. For example, if theadvertisement unit 116 is marketing a new car model, the XML feed 114may be a poll that queries the client 102 about a preferred car make ormodel. In another embodiment, the content of the XML syndication feed114 is chosen based on the client's 102 interactions with theadvertisement unit 116. For example, a client 102 using a mouse to clickon an object or character depicted in the advertisement unit 116 mayresult in a XML syndication feed 114 providing news or information aboutthe object or character. Examples of programming languages that can beused to create advertisement units 116 that enable interactions with theuser include JAVASCRIPT™, VBSCRIPT™, ACTIVEX™, or FLASH(LIVESCRIPT)™. Itshould be understood, however, that any programming language can be usedto create interactive advertisement units 116 as long as the resultingunit 116 can be delivered through the Internet 103 and be rendered by aweb browser.

As depicted, the ad server 106 is configured to retrieve XML syndicationcontent feed(s) 114 from the XML site server 108 and provide temporarycache storage of the XML syndication feed 114 prior to the client 102retrieving the feed 114 from the ad server 106 via the Internet 103.These syndication content feed(s) 114 are configured to be dynamicallyupdatable. The XML site server 108 is configured to send XML syndicationfeed 114 updates to the ad server whenever the XML site server 108receives a request for updated XML content from the ad server 106. Inone embodiment, the request is self-initiated by the ad server 106 inaccordance with a set interval schedule (e.g., time, etc.). For example,the ad server 106 can be programmed to retrieve updates according to atime based interval (e.g., days, minutes, hours, etc.) schedule. Inanother embodiment, the request for updated content is initiated inresponse to a call for updated content by the client 102. In stillanother embodiment, the request for updated content is initiated inresponse to a call for updated syndication feed content by theaggregator component (i.e., feed reader) of the client 102 web browser.In still yet another embodiment, the request is initiated when thesyndication feed 114 content in the ad server 106 cache has remainedstatic (not updated) for a predetermined period of time. It should beunderstood that essentially any trigger can be used to initiate an adserver 106 request for syndication feed 114 updates as long as the adserver can be configured to process and understand that trigger.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with a XML syndication feed embedded within, inaccordance with one embodiment. As shown herein, the browser window 200includes an Internet advertising unit 201 that is positioned above webcontent 203 in the browser 200. The advertising unit 201 includes anembedded XML content feed 114 that has been converted into a format(i.e., HTML, XHTML, etc.) appropriate for web browser viewing within itsboundaries. The XML syndication feed 114, as depicted herein, has aplurality of hyperlinks 206 each linked to specific web content 203 byway of a Universal Resource Locator (URL) address set within thehyperlink 206. It should be appreciated, however, that the XML contentfeed 114 may contain any type of web content (i.e., text, images, video,etc.) 203 as long as the content 203 can be displayed by the browser 200hosting the feed 114. In one embodiment, a text summary detailing thespecifics of the web content that each hyperlink 206 is associated withis positioned adjacent to each of the hyperlinks 206. In anotherembodiment, a summary of the web content 203 associated with eachhyperlink 206 becomes visible to the user when a mouse pointer ispositioned substantially over the hyperlink 206.

By using a scroll bar 204, the user can scroll through the entire listof hyperlinks 206 available to the XML syndication feed 114. Eachhyperlink 206 may be associated with web content 203 that may be in thesame or in different formats (e.g., text, multimedia, etc.). Examples ofweb content 203 that can be connected via the hyperlinks 206 include:news stories, video feeds, product purchases, product information,sales, and marketing promotions. It should be understood that any webcontent 203 can be connected by hyperlinks 206 added to the XMLsyndication feed 114 as long as the content 203 can be accessed over theInternet and the content 203 format is supported by the web browser 200hosting the syndication feed 114.

Continuing with FIG. 2, as discussed in detail above, one significantadvantage of delivering ad units 201 embedded with a XML syndicationfeed 114 is that the ad units 201 can be continuously updated via theXML syndication content site servers that are connected to the ad serversending the dynamically updated advertisement unit 201 to the clientbrowser 200. This allows for a delivery of ad units 201 that are alwaysupdated and relevant to a user to advance the objectives of the Internetmarketing campaign.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of what results when a hyperlink in a XMLsyndication feed embedded within an advertisement unit is selected by auser during a web session, in accordance with one embodiment. In thisillustration, a web content window 302 opens when the user selects oneof the hyperlinks 206 that are in the XML syndication feed 114 embeddedwithin the advertisement unit 201. The content window 302 can be, forexample, the news story associated with the chosen hyperlink 206.Alternatively, the content window 302 can be multimedia content (e.g.,images, audio, video, etc.) related to the chosen hyperlink 206. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the content window 302 can be usedto display essentially any type of web content associated with thehyperlink 206 as long as the content can be accessed over the Internetand the content format is supported by the web browser 200 displayingthe syndication feed 114. Additionally, the web content may or may notrelate directly to the subject of the chosen hyperlink 206.

Window 302 can be part of, or appear in content area 203 or, dependingon the embodiment, window 302 can be a stand alone window. In suchembodiments, the functionality of the content window 302 can appear thesame or similar to other conventional web pages; however, as previouslydiscussed, unlike conventional Internet advertisement units 201, thehyperlinks 206 in the XML syndication feed 114 embedded in theadvertisement unit 201 described herein can be updated dynamically by aXML syndication feed site server by way of the ad server delivering thead unit 201.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with a XML syndication feed embedded within, inaccordance with one embodiment. In this ad unit 201, the XML syndicationfeed panel 114 is configured to deliver an interactive poll 402. Userscan thus interact with and respond to the poll 402 that is containedwithin the XML feed panel 202. The poll 402 can be used to query theusers' opinions about a variety of subjects that may or may not berelated to the subject of the advertisement unit 201. As with the XMLsyndication feed panel 114 delivering hyperlinks described above, thepoll 402 can be dynamically updated by a XML syndication feed siteserver by way of the ad server delivering the ad unit 201.

Also depicted in this illustration, is a poll results window 403 thatdisplays the results of the interactive poll 402 after the user hasinteracted in some fashion with the poll 402. The interaction can be assimple as the user responding to poll 402 by choosing a box presented orit can involve multiple interactive steps such as choosing a box andadditionally choosing a poll selection submission button within the poll402. The results 403 may be in the form of numerical statisticssummarizing how other users have responded to the poll 402 or justdisplay the leading vote receiver. It should be appreciated, however,that the poll results 403 may be delivered in any format that can bedelivered over the Internet and is appropriate for the particularapplication. In one embodiment, as with the XML syndication feed panel202 described above, the poll results 403 can be dynamically updated bya XML syndication type feed 114.

FIG. 5, is an illustration of a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with multiple XML syndication feeds embedded within,in accordance with one embodiment. As depicted herein, the advertisementunit 201 includes two separate XML syndication feeds (i.e., aninteractive poll feed 502 and a hyperlinks feed 504). The XML feed atthe top left of the ad unit is an interactive poll feed 502. The pollfeed 502 is configured to deliver dynamically updated interactive polls402 to the ad unit 201 in the manner described above. Mainly, theinteractive polls 402 are updated by one or more XML syndication feedsite servers via the ad server delivering the ad unit 201. The XML feedbelow the interactive poll feed 502 is the hyperlinks feed 504 whichdelivers hyperlinks 206 associated with various web content that may ormay not be related to the subject of the advertisement unit 201. As withthe interactive poll feed 502, the hyperlinks feed 504 can bedynamically updated by one or more XML syndication feed site servers viathe ad server sending the ad unit 201 to the browser 200.

When a user interacts with either the interactive poll feed 502 or thehyperlinks feed 504 a new window can pop-up that displays the pollresults (i.e., poll results window 403) from the interactive poll 406 orthe web content (i.e., web content window 302) associated with thehyperlink 206 chosen, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6. Both the pollresults window 403 and the web content window 302 can be dynamicallyupdated by one or more XML syndication feed site servers via the adserver delivering the ad unit 201 to the browser 200 in the same manneras that described above.

It should be appreciated, that the types of XML feeds depicted hereinthe advertisement unit 201 are used for illustrative purposes only andshould not be interpreted to limit the categories of XML feeds that canbe embedded within the ad unit 201. The XML feeds can be of any type(e.g., multimedia, interactive poll, hyperlinks, text, blogs, etc.) aslong as the content in the feed is adaptable to be delivered in one ofthe available XML-based feed formats (e.g., RSS, Atom, etc.) and can bedisplayed by the web browser 200. For example, the ad unit 201 describedherein FIG. 5 can just as easily be modified to include two XML feeds,one delivering multimedia content such as a video feed, and the otherdelivering blog content.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a web browser window that includes anadvertisement unit with a XML syndication feed embedded within and awindow displaying poll results and hyperlinks, in accordance with oneembodiment. In this embodiment, the browser window 200 includes anembedded ad unit 201 that has an XML syndication feed 114 that isconfigured to deliver interactive polls 402 content. When a userinteracts with the interactive poll 402, a poll results/XML syndicationfeed window 702 pops up displaying both the poll results 403 and anadditional embedded XML syndication feed 114 with hyperlinks 206 to webcontent that may or may not be related to the subject of the interactivepoll 402.

If the user chooses to click on any one of the hyperlinks 206, a contentwindow 302 pops up to display the web content associated with thehyperlink 206 chosen. It should be understood that the web content canessentially be any text, image, or multi-media (i.e., audio, video,etc.) content as long as it can be delivered via the Internet and bedisplayed by the web browser 200 hosting the advertisement unit 201.Both the XML syndication feed 114 embedded within the advertisement unit201 and the poll results/XML syndication feed window 702 can bedynamically updated by one or more XML syndication feed site servers viathe ad server in the same manner as that described above.

FIG. 8, is an illustration of a XML multi-media syndication feedembedded within an advertisement unit, in accordance with oneembodiment. Depicted herein is a XML multi-media syndication feed 802 isembedded within an ad unit 201. The multi-media feed 802 is configuredto deliver multi-media web content (e.g., audio, video, games, etc.)that can be dynamically updated by one or more XML syndication feed siteservers via the ad server in the same manner as that previouslydiscussed above. In one embodiment, the XML multi-media content feed 802can be configured to automatically execute (i.e., play) any newmulti-media content 804 that it receives from the ad server as part of acontent update. In another embodiment, the multi-media content feed 802can be configured to require a user to actively initiate the playing ofany new multi-media content 804 introduced as part of an updateoperation.

The invention, described herein, may be practiced with other computersystem configurations including hand-held devices, microprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. The invention may alsobe practiced in distributing computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through anetwork.

With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that theinvention may employ various computer-implemented operations involvingdata stored in computer systems. These operations are those requiringphysical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, andotherwise manipulated. Further, the manipulations performed are oftenreferred to in terms, such as producing, identifying, determining, orcomparing.

Any of the operations described herein that form part of the inventionare useful machine operations. The invention also relates to a device oran apparatus for performing these operations. The apparatus may bespecially constructed for the required purposes, such as the carriernetwork discussed above, or it may be a general purpose computerselectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in thecomputer. In particular, various general purpose machines may be usedwith computer programs written in accordance with the teachings herein,or it may be more convenient to construct a more specialized apparatusto perform the required operations.

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on acomputer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any datastorage device that can store data, which can thereafter be read by acomputer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include harddrives, network attached storage (NAS), read-only memory, random-accessmemory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes, and other optical andnon-optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can alsobe distributed over a network coupled computer systems so that thecomputer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail herein, it should be understood, by those of ordinary skill,that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific formswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore,the present examples and embodiments are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limitedto the details provided therein, but may be modified and practicedwithin the scope of the appended claims.

1. A system for providing XML syndication content to an Internetadvertisement panel rendered in a web browser, comprising: a web contentserver in communication with the web browser, the web content serverconfigured to respond to requests by the web browser for a web page andto deliver the web page to the web browser; an Internet advertisementserver in communication with the web browser, the Internet advertisementserver configured to choose and deliver an Internet advertisement panelto the web browser, wherein the Internet advertisement panel is chosenbased on previous communications with the web browser, wherein XMLsyndication content is embedded within the Internet advertisement panel;and a XML syndication content feed site server in communication with theInternet advertisement server, the XML syndication content feed siteserver configured to send XML syndication content updates to theInternet advertisement server upon receipt of an update request from theInternet advertisement server.
 2. The system for providing XMLsyndication content to an Internet advertisement panel rendered in a webbrowser, as recited in claim 1, wherein the web content servercommunicates with the web browser by way of an Internet connection. 3.The system for providing XML syndication content to an Internetadvertisement panel rendered in a web browser, as recited in claim 1,wherein the Internet advertisement server communicates with the webbrowser by way of an Internet connection.
 4. The system for providingXML syndication content to an Internet advertisement panel rendered in aweb browser, as recited in claim 1, wherein the XML syndication contentfeed site server communicates with the Internet advertisement serverthrough a connection that is one of an Internet connection or a localarea network connection.
 5. The system for providing XML syndicationcontent to an Internet advertisement panel rendered in a web browser, asrecited in claim 1, wherein the Internet advertisement server includesan internal memory cache to store XML syndication content communicatedby the XML syndication content feed site server.
 6. The system forproviding XML syndication content to an Internet advertisement panelrendered in a web browser, as recited in claim 1, wherein the web pagecontains embedded script configured to instruct the web browser torequest the Internet advertisement panel from the Internet advertisementserver.
 7. The system for providing XML syndication content to anInternet advertisement panel rendered in a web browser, as recited inclaim 6, wherein the embedded script is written using a programminglanguage that is one of JAVASCRIPT™ or VBSCRIPT™.
 8. The system forproviding XML syndication content to an Internet advertisement panelrendered in a web browser, as recited in claim 1, wherein the Internetadvertisement server is configured to request XML syndication contentupdates from the XML syndication feed site server in accordance to apre-determined schedule.
 9. The system for providing XML syndicationcontent to an Internet advertisement panel rendered in a web browser, asrecited in claim 1, wherein the XML syndication content is created froma format that is one of RSS or Atom.
 10. The system for providing XMLsyndication content to an Internet advertisement panel rendered in a webbrowser, as recited in claim 9, wherein RSS is a syndication formatselected from a group consisting of Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0),Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0), and RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and1.0).
 11. The system for providing XML syndication content to anInternet advertisement panel rendered in a web browser, as recited inclaim 1, wherein the XML syndication content is selected from a groupconsisting of an interactive poll, a hyperlink, an image, text, a videofile, an audio file, and a poll results page.
 12. The system forproviding XML syndication content to an Internet advertisement panelrendered in a web browser, as recited in claim 1, further includingconverting the XML syndication content into HTML format prior toembedding the XML syndication content within the Internet advertisementpanel.
 13. A method for providing a dynamically updated Internetadvertisement panel to a remote user, comprising: receiving a requestfor the Internet advertisement panel; searching archived informationregarding previous communications with the remote user, wherein thesearch includes selecting the Internet advertisement panel based on theprevious communications with the remote user; creating the selectedInternet advertisement panel; embedding XML syndication content into theselected Internet advertisement panel, wherein the XML syndicationcontent is configured to allow for updates; sending the selectedInternet advertisement panel to the remote user in a format that permitsthe remote user to view and interact with the selected Internetadvertisement panel; updating a profile for the remote user withinformation about the selected Internet advertisement panel; andarchiving the profile for the remote user in a storage area.
 14. Themethod for providing a dynamically updated Internet advertisement panelto a remote user, as recited in claim 13, further including creating theprofile for the remote user before updating if there is no archivedinformation regarding the remote user.
 15. The method for providing adynamically updated Internet advertisement panel to a remote user, asrecited in claim 13, wherein the storage area is located in an Internetadvertisement server.
 16. The method for providing a dynamically updatedInternet advertisement panel to a remote user, as recited in claim 13,wherein the XML syndication content is created from a format that is oneof RSS or Atom.
 17. The method for providing a dynamically updatedInternet advertisement panel to a remote user, as recited in claim 16,wherein RSS is a syndication format selected from a group consisting ofReally Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0), Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS1.0), and RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0).
 18. The method forproviding a dynamically updated Internet advertisement panel to a remoteuser, as recited in claim 13, wherein the XML syndication content isselected from a group consisting of an interactive poll, a hyperlink,text, an image, a video file, an audio file, and poll results.
 19. Themethod for providing a dynamically updated Internet advertisement panelto a remote user, as recited in claim 18, further including deliveringthe poll results to the remote user when a response to the interactivepoll is submitted.
 20. The method for providing a dynamically updatedInternet advertisement panel to a remote user, as recited in claim 13,wherein the format is selected from a group consisting of JAVASCRIPT™,VBSCRIPT™, ACTIVEX™, and FLASH(LIVESCRIPT)™.
 21. The method forproviding a dynamically updated Internet advertisement panel to a remoteuser, as recited in claim 13, further including prompting a XMLsyndication content feed site server to provide updates to the XMLsyndication content, wherein the frequency of the prompting is betweenabout 1 minute to about 24 hours.
 22. The method for providing adynamically updated Internet advertisement panel to a remote user, asrecited in claim 13, wherein the XML syndication content updatesoriginate from a XML syndication content feed site server.
 23. Themethod for providing a dynamically updated Internet advertisement panelto a remote user, as recited in claim 13, further including convertingthe XML syndication content into HTML format prior to the XMLsyndication content being embedded into the selected Internetadvertisement panel.
 24. A method for updating XML syndication contentin an Internet advertisement panel, comprising: requesting XMLsyndication content data from a XML syndication content feed siteserver; receiving the XML syndication content data from the XMLsyndication content feed site server; storing the XML syndicationcontent data in a storage area; choosing the XML syndication contentdata to include in a XML syndication content update file in accordancewith a set of criteria; creating an Internet advertisement panel withthe XML syndication content update file embedded therein; and sendingthe Internet advertisement panel to a web browser displaying theInternet advertisement panel.
 25. The method for updating XMLsyndication content in an Internet advertisement panel, as recited inclaim 24, wherein the sending of the Internet advertisement panel is inresponse to receiving a request for the Internet advertisement panelfrom the web browser.
 26. The method for updating XML syndicationcontent in an Internet advertisement panel, as recited in claim 24,wherein the set of criteria delineates which categories of XMLsyndication content data to include in the updated XML syndicationcontent file.
 27. The method for updating XML syndication content in anInternet advertisement panel, as recited in claim 24, wherein thestorage area is located in an Internet advertisement server.